Syria frees 126 children from YPG-run prison in Raqqa

• Syrian authorities released 126 children under 18 from Al Aqtan prison in Raqqa.
• The prison was previously run by the YPG/SDF, holding both Kurdish and Daesh detainees.
• Government officials condemned the detentions, calling them a violation of children’s rights.

Syrian security forces released 126 children from Al Aqtan prison in Raqqa province on Saturday, state media reported, after taking control of the facility from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as part of an agreement to extend government authority.

According to Alikhbaria Syria TV, all of the released detainees were under the age of 18. An unnamed security source confirmed the move, saying the children had been held in a prison previously run by the YPG, the armed wing of the SDF.

Government Officials Condemn Child Detentions

Information Minister Hamza al Mustafa described the children’s imprisonment as a grave injustice on X, the social media platform.

“These children are not merely detainees; they are sons and daughters whose childhoods were stolen. They should have been in schools and playgrounds, not behind prison walls,” he said, adding that every face “carries a story of fear, separation, and lost innocence.”

Presidential spokesman Ahmed Muaffaq Zaidan called the detentions a “full-fledged scandal carried out by gangs outside the bounds of time and place.”

Transition of Prison Control

On Friday, the Syrian Justice Ministry officially took over Al Aqtan prison following the withdrawal of YPG elements, allowing state institutions to operate under the law. The Interior Ministry began reviewing detainee files to determine further action.

Syrian army units also transferred Kurdish fighters from the prison and surrounding areas to the SDF-controlled city of Ayn al-Arab (Kobane) in Aleppo province, which officials said was “the first step in implementing the January 18 agreement” between Damascus and the SDF.

Ceasefire Agreement and Broader Context

The prison takeover is part of a broader deal announced by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa with SDF chief Mazloum Abdi, which includes a ceasefire and the integration of Kurdish-held areas into the state. Under the agreement, the Syrian government will assume responsibility for all Daesh prisoners held in the region.

Footage aired by Syrian state television showed crowds welcoming the released children, while SANA published the names of remaining detainees to allow families to locate them.

One child interviewed by SANA alleged he had been tortured with electricity while in Al Aqtan prison. The SDF has not immediately commented on the release.

Shifts in Control Across Northern Syria

Under pressure from Damascus, the SDF has recently relinquished swathes of territory, withdrawing to parts of Hasakeh province in the far northeast.

The release of children and the handover of Al Aqtan prison represents a key step in the government’s effort to reassert control across northern Syria and bring autonomous Kurdish-administered areas under state authority.